How do I get started making games?

“How do I get started making games?”

AKA “I’m really new, (I Think) I know nothing, help!”

A guide by Louisville Makes Games! Community members

We have two recommended paths for beginners one is to attend a game jam, and the other is to start with a tutorial in an existing game engine.

Path 1: Game Jams

What is a game jam?

A game jam is a (usually) weekend long event where you get a theme, form a team, and create a game based on the theme. The great thing about game jams is you can be an absolute beginner, and whether you are interested in art, code, music, story, or game design you can up your skills and pick up a lot from your team members. Even if you think you have nothing to give to the team, you can usually work with people who have made games before and help with various tasks until you are up to speed and contributing. There are 3 game jams Louisville Makes Games! does in person each year, Global Game Jam, Ludum Dare, and Kentucky Fried Pixels, check our events on meetup(link) to find out when the next one is and join in. Here is a video that explains game jams a lot better, it’s a keynote for the 2017 Global Game Jam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xfxx27HbM4

Path 2: Start with an existing engine and tutorial

What should I make games with?

This may sound daunting, but it really doesn’t matter what engine you make games with. In reality, this makes it super simple to find something that works for you! A good starting point for making games in general is Construct, a 2D game creation program that works inside your web browser. It has a huge community built up around it and tons of great tutorials to help you get started on your game making quest! With Construct you don’t have to write any code to create a game and can use some drag and drop tools and simple logic to piece together something of your own. Construct 3’s web interface has links to tutorials built right into the browser window that you can follow along with while you work.